History of Mantovano and stucco valentino

One of our new signature finishes is Stucco Valentino. Stucco Valentino mimics the look of aged unpolished marble. A fellow applicator created this finish and the variations we can create are limitless. It's recipe is exclusive to certified applicators and only a handful of trained artisans are in the US. This is a pure lime plaster which cures back to limestone in 28-30 days. We typically wax this finish with a walnut colorant to enhance it's aged look. However, we can wax with a product which will still allow the lime to remain "breathable, mold and mildew resistant" if you would prefer.

MANTOVANO

If you do a search on "Mantovano", you may find several companies that claim to provide this historical finish. However, they are providing a look alike. Only we have the genuine Mantovano finish and only we can apply them for you with the appropriate method of application.

Mantovano yields an organic pitted look with a matte finish. It can be done in one color or in two tone.

According to the information our manufacturer was able to gather, the Mantovano finish dates back to the late years 1100, when Architect Alberto Pitentino modified the flow of the river Mincio to create four artificial lakes around Mantova (formerly Mantua), to gain more space to extend the city and to defend it.

At the time, wandering outside the city was a dangerous thing and the people searched for raw materials as close to their city walls as possible. Unlike the limesones used by the people of Venice, who would avoid touching the dangerous mainland and would thus pick up the stones by boat from the delta of the Brenta river close by, the inhabitants of Mantova would pick the limestones from the waters of the Mincio river and the lakes around the city. The Mantova limestones gave a lime finish much more fluid than the Brenta limestones. The resulting finish therefore had to be applied by brush and trowel.

Such finish was extremely popular during the Renaissance period, when the Gonzaga family (who seized power from the Bonacolsi family in 1328 and ruled the city for three centuries) was one of the most important European courts, hosting artists like Pisanello, Mantegna, Perugino, Correggio, LB Alberti, Giulio Romano, Rubens and many more. In that period the architecture of the city was deeply changed and many of Mantova's famous palaces were built, with the participation of the noble families of the time.

The Mantovano Stucco finish and technique lost popularity in the following centuries with the decline and disappearance of the city. Our manufacturer is less than 50 km away from Mantova and could not let a such unique traditional finish disappear. After a few years of research in the libraries of Mantova, Safra managed to figure out the original application technique and important clues on the finish formulation. After some more lab-work they brought back to life the Mantovano Stucco.

With our signature Mantovano finish, you have a small piece of Italian history, following hand-in-hand the rise and fall of a city which has been one of the wealthiest and more powerful cities of Italian history.

MURS D ART

Murs d Art is a very unique tuscan old world finish that no other company can duplicate the exact look and feel of. It is composed of cellulose fibers and is also sound and thermal resistant. The plaster itself can be applied untinted, and then colored with a tinted wash, or the plaster can be tinted and then washed with a slightly different tint to enhance it's depth and intensity.